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About us

The career network for the AI economy

Handshake office

Handshake is the best place to learn, earn, and grow your career.

Handshake is the career network for the AI economy. As the only three-sided job marketplace connecting 30 million knowledge workers, 1,600+ educational institutions, and 1 million employers, Handshake powers career discovery, hiring, and upskilling—from first internships to full-time roles, freelance work to gig work, and beyond. The platform combines dynamic profiles, intelligent job matching, and interactive skill-building to connect talent with opportunity and help the workforce stay ahead in the AI economy.

Letter from the CEO

In 2014, we founded Handshake to change how, where, and why the next generation of talent builds their career—starting from their first day of college. I believed then, as I do now, that talent is everywhere and shouldn’t be limited by who you know or where you go to school. That belief helped fix a broken and selective recruiting system.

Today, we’re building something even bigger: the career network for the AI economy.

AI is reshaping all aspects of work and what careers look like. We’re connecting job seekers with work that matters now—the roles, industries, and skills needed in the new economy. And we’re building the matching engine and AI-powered tools to make Handshake the most effective, trusted place to discover, explore, and land jobs—whether it’s your first internship, next step, or big leap forward.

Handshake started by giving students a better way in.

Now, we’re helping all job seekers thrive in the AI economy.

Garrett Lord
CEO, Handshake

Leadership

Sahil Bhaiwala
Sahil BhaiwalaChief Strategy and Innovation Officer, Handshake AI
Ben Christensen
Ben ChristensenCo-Founder
Wes Field
Wes FieldChief Commercial Officer, Handshake AI
Jesse Hulsing
Jesse HulsingChief Financial Officer
Garrett Lord
Garrett LordCo-Founder & CEO
Dylan Lowrey
Dylan LowreyGeneral Counsel
Saad Rehmani
Saad RehmaniChief Technology Officer
Nishant Ranka
Nishant RankaFounder and President, Handshake Labs
Scott Ringwelski
Scott RingwelskiCo-Founder
Stephen Rocco Rodi
Stephen Rocco RodiChief Communications Officer
Julia Stiglitz
Julia StiglitzChief Education & Workforce Officer
Jonathan Stull
Jonathan StullPresident and Chief Operating Officer
Katie Viamari
Katie ViamariVP, People & Talent
Mallory Wheaton
Mallory WheatonChief Customer Officer
Yang Zhao
Yang ZhaoChief Business Officer, Handshake AI

Board
of Directors

Ben Christensen
Ben ChristensenCo-Founder
Margo Georgiadis
Margo GeorgiadisCEO, Montai Therapeutics
Mamoon Hamid
Mamoon HamidGeneral Partner, Kleiner Perkins
Garrett Lord
Garrett LordCo-Founder & CEO
Alastair Mitchell
Alastair MitchellPartner and Co-Head, EQT Ventures
Megan Quinn
Megan QuinnFormer COO, Niantic
Toni Schneider
Toni SchneiderPartner, True Ventures
Will Reed
Will ReedGeneral Partner, Spark Capital
Jeff Richards
Jeff RichardsManaging Partner, Notable Capital

Office locations

Our centrally located, transit-friendly spaces feature modern amenities, top-tier equipment, meals, snacks, and social activities to foster a strong team culture and ensure our employees can do their best work.
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco, CAFinancial District
New York, NY
New York, NYFlatiron District
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Bangalore, India
Bangalore, India

Our story

2014
2019
2020
2024
2025

Handshake was founded to transform how students launch their careers.

Partnering with colleges, we connected students to employers who wouldn't have otherwise visited their schools.